Materials:
Large (two-gallon) Ziploc bag
Large sheet of white paper
Small paint rollers
Ruler
Marker
Baby oil
Food color
Water
Floral stones (two colors if you have them)
Tape
Directions: Using the ruler and marker, draw straight lines across the paper about two inches apart. Tape the paper to a table. Mix a little food color into about a cup of water. Pour it into the Ziploc bag. Add some baby oil to the mix, roughly half a cup. Vegetable oil works, too. Add the floral stones. Get as much air out of the bag as possible and then seal the bag. It’s a good idea to tape over the seal so the bag doesn’t accidentally open! Tape the bag directly on top of the paper with the lines. Then you’re ready to explore with the paint rollers. Your child may or may not notice that the oil and water don’t mix, so some of the liquid is colored, while some is not. It’s fine to use fingers to push the floral stones across the lines, but I like to provide the small paint rollers. The paint rollers are something the child can manipulate by himself, and they add an exciting dimension to the activity. Also, the rollers are soft, so the bag tends to last longer without punctures! Challenge your child to try to move all the stones to one end or the other, or to a certain line. Younger children will enjoy just exploring with the rollers. If you use two colors, you can try making a game of it by choosing one color of stones and just moving those. It’s harder than it looks!
